The Publication For Garage Professionals

FAULTS with lights and signals were the most common reasons for MOT test failures in the latest information made available by the Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency.

They topped the list at 18.9 per cent – nearly one in five – during the 2015-2016 financial year, according to figures published today. Suspension issues were second at 13.0 per cent, followed by problems with brakes at 10 per cent. Fourth and fifth were tyres and the driver’s view of the road, at 7.7 per cent and 7.2 per cent respectively.

The year saw a total of 29,581,857 MOTs, 36.3 per cent of which initially failed. After 2,602,522 of the failures passed following repairs, the final percentage of unsuccessful tests came in at 27.5 per cent.

The majority of these MOTs were for class three and four vehicles – cars, vans and small passenger vehicles, which had an initial fail rate of 36.8 per cent and a final rate of 27.9 per cent.

The highest rate of failure was in class seven – goods vehicles with a mass of between 3,000kg and 3,500kg. Their initial fail rate was a staggering 46.8 per cent, which fell to 37.3 per cent for the final rate.

As well as releasing the statistics, the DVSA is urging motorists to ensure that their vehicles are checked and properly maintained in order to avoid MOT failures or worse, accidents. This especially applies during the winter months, when it’s dark and the weather is bad.

The Road Casualty Report for 2015 to 2016 held the alarming revelation that 1,830 accidents in that period of time were caused by vehicles being unroadworthy.

DVSA chief executive Gareth Llewellyn said: ‘Don’t wait until your MOT to find out if your car needs attention. Make sure your car is properly maintained and safe to drive at all times.’